SAHLAN HAYES NOT FORBIDDEN FRUIT: Ross Beaton, second from left, hands out New Zealand apples to Australians outside the Sydney Opera House yesterday.
Napier applegrowing brothers Ross and Bruce Beaton have been making Sydneysiders happy. They have been giving them their first taste of sweet and crunchy Pacific rose apples. "They tell us they love it, absolutely love it," Ross Beaton said. "Research shows that when people bite into crunchy apples it activates endorphins and they feel good. That's what we've been telling people today. I've been watching them take a bite and the smiles on their faces tell me they feel great." He and his brother were handing out apples yesterday at impromptu tastings on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and at the city's wholesale fruit and vegetable market – the first time New Zealand apples have been seen in Australia in 90 years. They have air-freighted container-loads to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and will visit the other cities this week to sound out the market. Beaton said potential buyers at the market were "a bit nervous". "They've got customers for Australian apples and they don't want to upset them. They have to be cautious." Grower body Apple and Pear Australia has been leading a campaign against the lifting of the ban on New Zealand apples. But Beaton said the welcome from people in Sydney showed that not every Australian agreed with a ban. He said the market would take time to develop. "The floodgates aren't going to open. There's not going to be a deluge of apples. All good things take time and it's going to take time to build up to significant volumes." The fight to lift the ban had been a team effort by scientists, diplomats and orchardists. "Now, we've been passed the ball and we're scoring the try. It's a bit like us winning the apple world cup." The Beatons' Apollo Apple Co is one of four companies from Hawke's Bay landing apples in Australia this week. Others were shunning publicity yesterday, saying it was a sensitive issue. The two main supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, have said they will not sell New Zealand apples. They have 70 per cent of the fruit and vegetable market, which leaves New Zealand dealing with independent stores and fruiterers, and the catering and hotel industry. A recent Pipfruit New Zealand survey of 1000 shoppers in Australia found that 46 per cent thought New Zealand apples had always been available to them.
- BusinessDay.co.nz
Thinkers' Key Activity:
Interpretation Key: Give an interpretation for: New Zealand not selling Australian apples.
What if Key: What if no Australians buy NZ apples?
Disadvantages Key: List the disadvantages of selling apples in Australia.
Alphabet Key: Create an A-Z of facts about apples.
18.8.11
WALT comprehend...
No sure ticket for families of famous All Blacks
MATT RICHENS
All Blacks
Bev and Nev Carter (Left); and Richie McCaw (C) with his parents Donald McCaw and Margaret McCaw.
Rugby World Cup
Believe it or not, Dan Carter's parents might be too busy to go to the World Cup quarterfinal. Richie McCaw's folks are nervous about getting tickets to the semi and the final because at the moment they don't have any, and as for Andy Ellis' folks, they have no tickets at all.
While rugby fans the world over weigh up whether to splash out and buy, in some instances horrendously expensive, tickets to games, the same vexed question is troubling the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw's dads.
Donald and Margaret McCaw learnt their lesson when it comes to World Cup rugby tickets in 2007 and they're not tempting fate.
They travelled to Europe four years ago when Richie, or Richard as they call him, and his team were beaten in the quarterfinal by France in Cardiff. While most of the the players, including their son, returned home to face the wrath of an angry, rugby-mad public, the McCaws still had two weeks left on their holiday and no team to support.
This time they're in no rush to splash out on tickets to the semifinal and final of next month's tournament.
"We're going to all the All Blacks' pool games," Donald said. "And the quarterfinal, but we'll just wait and see for the rest. If the boys make it then we'll hopefully be able to get some tickets through Richard."
They're also going to the France v Japan game at Eden Park with French friends who put them up four years ago at the last Cup. There's no fancy hotels for the McCaws despite being parents of the New Zealand side's most important man of 2011; friends in Newmarket are lending them a house while they hunker down in the City of Sails.
There's no penthouse suite at the Auckland Hilton for the Carters either, though "the spare room at Dan's place" doesn't sound too bad. Neville and Bev Carter, like the McCaws, have got tickets to the All Blacks pool game against France and the three playoff games the ABs are likely to be in.
But their busy schedule means they might not be able to go to the quarterfinal. "We'll be flat out at the [Southbridge] rugby club and we've got the Carter Country tours too," Neville Carter said. "It was originally meant to be in Christchurch, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to get up to Auckland now."
Neville is bar manager – among numerous other roles – at Southbridge Rugby Club which will be hosting tourists throughout the cup and showing games live.
At least the McCaws and Carters know their sons will be playing. Spare a thought for Greg and Sue Ellis, parents of halfback Andy, who are resisting buying tickets in case their boy doesn't make the final 30 named next Tuesday. Greg Ellis said: "The boys are normally pretty good and they share spare tickets if there are any. And I think Andrew has bought some too, so we should be OK."
Like the McCaws and Carters, Greg and Sue Ellis were in France four years ago and had to change their plans after the "Cardiff incident". "We went to Spain instead," Greg Ellis said.
"But the World Cup was fantastic, it was really brilliant and I'm really looking forward to this one too."
25.8.11
WALT comprehend...Kiwi apples a hit in Sydney
JON MORGANSAHLAN HAYES
NOT FORBIDDEN FRUIT: Ross Beaton, second from left, hands out New Zealand apples to Australians outside the Sydney Opera House yesterday.
Napier applegrowing brothers Ross and Bruce Beaton have been making Sydneysiders happy.
They have been giving them their first taste of sweet and crunchy Pacific rose apples.
"They tell us they love it, absolutely love it," Ross Beaton said.
"Research shows that when people bite into crunchy apples it activates endorphins and they feel good. That's what we've been telling people today. I've been watching them take a bite and the smiles on their faces tell me they feel great."
He and his brother were handing out apples yesterday at impromptu tastings on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and at the city's wholesale fruit and vegetable market – the first time New Zealand apples have been seen in Australia in 90 years.
They have air-freighted container-loads to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and will visit the other cities this week to sound out the market.
Beaton said potential buyers at the market were "a bit nervous".
"They've got customers for Australian apples and they don't want to upset them. They have to be cautious."
Grower body Apple and Pear Australia has been leading a campaign against the lifting of the ban on New Zealand apples.
But Beaton said the welcome from people in Sydney showed that not every Australian agreed with a ban.
He said the market would take time to develop.
"The floodgates aren't going to open. There's not going to be a deluge of apples. All good things take time and it's going to take time to build up to significant volumes."
The fight to lift the ban had been a team effort by scientists, diplomats and orchardists. "Now, we've been passed the ball and we're scoring the try. It's a bit like us winning the apple world cup."
The Beatons' Apollo Apple Co is one of four companies from Hawke's Bay landing apples in Australia this week. Others were shunning publicity yesterday, saying it was a sensitive issue.
The two main supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, have said they will not sell New Zealand apples. They have 70 per cent of the fruit and vegetable market, which leaves New Zealand dealing with independent stores and fruiterers, and the catering and hotel industry.
A recent Pipfruit New Zealand survey of 1000 shoppers in Australia found that 46 per cent thought New Zealand apples had always been available to them.
- BusinessDay.co.nz
Thinkers' Key Activity:
18.8.11
WALT comprehend...
No sure ticket for families of famous All Blacks
MATT RICHENSBev and Nev Carter (Left); and Richie McCaw (C) with his parents Donald McCaw and Margaret McCaw.
Rugby World Cup
Believe it or not, Dan Carter's parents might be too busy to go to the World Cup quarterfinal.
Richie McCaw's folks are nervous about getting tickets to the semi and the final because at the moment they don't have any, and as for Andy Ellis' folks, they have no tickets at all.
While rugby fans the world over weigh up whether to splash out and buy, in some instances horrendously expensive, tickets to games, the same vexed question is troubling the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw's dads.
Donald and Margaret McCaw learnt their lesson when it comes to World Cup rugby tickets in 2007 and they're not tempting fate.
They travelled to Europe four years ago when Richie, or Richard as they call him, and his team were beaten in the quarterfinal by France in Cardiff. While most of the the players, including their son, returned home to face the wrath of an angry, rugby-mad public, the McCaws still had two weeks left on their holiday and no team to support.
This time they're in no rush to splash out on tickets to the semifinal and final of next month's tournament.
"We're going to all the All Blacks' pool games," Donald said. "And the quarterfinal, but we'll just wait and see for the rest. If the boys make it then we'll hopefully be able to get some tickets through Richard."
They're also going to the France v Japan game at Eden Park with French friends who put them up four years ago at the last Cup.
There's no fancy hotels for the McCaws despite being parents of the New Zealand side's most important man of 2011; friends in Newmarket are lending them a house while they hunker down in the City of Sails.
There's no penthouse suite at the Auckland Hilton for the Carters either, though "the spare room at Dan's place" doesn't sound too bad.
Neville and Bev Carter, like the McCaws, have got tickets to the All Blacks pool game against France and the three playoff games the ABs are likely to be in.
But their busy schedule means they might not be able to go to the quarterfinal.
"We'll be flat out at the [Southbridge] rugby club and we've got the Carter Country tours too," Neville Carter said. "It was originally meant to be in Christchurch, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to get up to Auckland now."
Neville is bar manager – among numerous other roles – at Southbridge Rugby Club which will be hosting tourists throughout the cup and showing games live.
At least the McCaws and Carters know their sons will be playing. Spare a thought for Greg and Sue Ellis, parents of halfback Andy, who are resisting buying tickets in case their boy doesn't make the final 30 named next Tuesday.
Greg Ellis said: "The boys are normally pretty good and they share spare tickets if there are any. And I think Andrew has bought some too, so we should be OK."
Like the McCaws and Carters, Greg and Sue Ellis were in France four years ago and had to change their plans after the "Cardiff incident".
"We went to Spain instead," Greg Ellis said.
"But the World Cup was fantastic, it was really brilliant and I'm really looking forward to this one too."
- The Press
Sourced from www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/rugby-world-cup/5463989/No-sure-ticket-for-families-of-famous-All-Blacks
Thinkers' Key Activity: